In Syria, which opened its doors to the “Arab Spring” with peaceful street protests in Daraa province on 15 March 2011, the bells started to ring with bloody oppression of the protests, detentions, and torture by regime forces. Within four years Syria swept into a “fictionalized” war in a fast pace. Increasing doze of violence by the regime, contradictory attitude of the international system, especially the West, direct/indirect efforts to weaken moderate opposition groups, and terrorist organizations’ infiltration into the war undermined the dynamics of the war and brought out a bloody portrait of Syria.
One of the bloodiest brushstrokes within this portrait paints the situation of Turkmens. Horizontal and vertical stratifying of the civil war made Turkmens a target for all armed groups. This issue has now become a hot topic on Turkey’s agenda. Turkmens got stuck between the ranges of ISIS, PYD, and the regime forces, and this makes them one of the most important actors of the civil war. Syrian Turkmens are acting within the moderate groups against the regime forces and they’ve had significant losses. Turkmens have been detained, tortured, killed, and forced to emigrate from their lands. Turkmens are struggling to survive in this tragedy. They gathered under the roof of “Syrian Turkmen Assembly” and they demand recognition of Turkmen identity and protection of their rights in the constitution of a newly established state in Syria. Syrian Turkmens’ main goal in this process is the protection of their existence and cultural rights in Syria within the framework of a constitution. In other words, Syrian Turkmens’ main expectation is to take place as a fundamental/founding constituent of the Syrian people in a new constitution.
Turkmens’ identity and Turkey’s security are under threat
A strategic analysis of the Syrian Turkmen locations could help to forecast Syria’s future in a clear way. Syrian Turkmens are the cement of the Syrian people with the locations they’ve been living, their thousand year old culture and traditions. This process, in which Syria is getting dragged into “regional ethnic cleansing” in a fast pace in Turkmen regions, any demographic changes especially in Aleppo, Raqqa, and Bayir Bucak will certainly damage the future and territorial integrity of Syria. If “Turkmen characteristic” is not protected in the above mentioned locations, it is obvious that it will not be possible to protect administrative and political integrity of Syria. A separated Syria will have devastating consequences for all Middle East, especially for Turkey.
In this context, protecting Turkmen settlements from Turkey’s south to the Mediterranean in northern Syria, which is at the top of the international media’s agenda, has paramount importance. There are two strategic foresights for the future of the region that has become the epicenter of the conflict between ISIS and PYD/YPG. The first is ISIS’s taking control over in the above mentioned region and becoming “southern neighbor” of Turkey. That sort of a possibility not only will begin/fasten Turkmens’ extinction sociologically but also bring out a structure that is always ready to produce chaos for Turkey through its southern line. Other possibility is PYD’s, whose goal is to establish “Syrian Kurdistan” in northern Syria except Latakia province by connecting three cantons in the belt of Kamishli-Afrin, becoming Turkey’s southern neighbor. Similar to the first foresight, in this situation Turkey will become “de facto” neighbor with a terrorist organization and Turkmens will face the reality of seizure of their lands by Kurds and be forced to immigrate. Therefore, it would not be a sophisticated prophecy to say that in both foresights both Turkey and Turkmens will be the “losing” side.
From the current situation and potential forecasts it is obvious that Turkmen identity and Turkey’s security are at a critical point. In this context, it would be a wise approach to listen carefully the voices from Syria in order to protect Turkey’s security and Turkmens’ identity. As a first step, when we listen to Syrian Turkmens, we see that they foresaw the current situation a long time ago. Indeed, as Turkmens repeatedly state in the last year, Aleppo and Raqqa Turkmens’ security is southeastern Turkey’s security; and Bayir-Bucak’s security is Hatay’s security. Within the framework of the realities in northern Syria, in which ISIS and PYD/YPG are the main subjects, improving Syrian Turkmens’ military and political capacity, and making Turkmen regions “safe zones” should be pondered seriously.
